GE To Supply Its Most Advanced F-Class Technology For New Power Plant In Port Of Barcelona

ATLANTA, GA - January, 2008 : – GE Energy’s most advanced, F-class gas turbine technology has been selected for a new combined-cycle power plant that will serve the Port of Barcelona as well as help to meet the future requirements of the Spanish electricity grid.

Owned by Gas Natural SDG, S.A., the Port de Barcelona Power Plant will feature two GE STAG 109FB combined-cycle systems and will produce approximately 850 megawatts of power. From its location within the port, the plant will provide a stable energy supply for the port while also having direct access to the regional distribution grid.

The new facility is a key ingredient in Gas Natural’s strategic plan, which calls for 5,000 megawatts of combined-cycle power plants in operation in 2010, when the Port of Barcelona plant is expected to enter service.

The new plant will supply power to the tie-up zone for ships in the port, providing the vessels with the electricity required for their loading and unloading activities without the need for a transmission network. This arrangement will improve the reliability of the power supply while reducing network losses and avoiding emissions from fuels that traditionally have been used by auxiliary motors involved in the tie-up operations.

GE Energy will be the turnkey EPC supplier for the project and, under a separate contract, will provide operation and maintenance services for the complete power plant for at least 12 years.

“This is the second project with Gas Natural using GE’s 9FB combined-cycle technology, following the Plana del Vent plant which successfully entered commercial operation in July,” said Jose Ignacio Molinero, GE Energy’s country executive for Spain and Portugal. “The EPC and services contracts for the Port of Barcelona project reconfirm Gas Natural’s confidence in our technology and service capabilities.”

Each of the two GE 109FB combined-cycle systems for the new plant will consist of a GE Frame 9FB gas turbine, a hydrogen-cooled generator, a 109A HEAT* (High Efficiency Advanced Technology) steam turbine and a heat recovery steam generator. The units also will feature GE’s most advanced NOx emissions combustion system, the DLN 2.6+, and will use natural gas as the primary fuel with gas oil as a backup.

The Frame 9FB is among the world’s most advanced, air-cooled, 50-hertz gas turbines and is the latest evolutionary step in GE’s F technology, which has surpassed more than 20 million hours of commercial service worldwide.

The 109A HEAT steam turbine offers improved efficiency and overall performance compared to standard A-series steam turbines. A HEAT steam turbine recently passed 8,000 hours of operation at a 400-megawatt 109FA plant in Ireland, a milestone generally considered by the industry as the mark of a proven product.

The gas turbines for the Port of Barcelona project will be manufactured at GE Energy’s facilities in Belfort, France.

Gas Natural is a multinational energy services company focusing on the supply, distribution and commercialization of natural gas in Spain, Latin America, Italy and France. Gas Natural is the fourth largest electricity producer and the fifth largest operator in the Spanish electricity sector, according to the National Energy Commission of Spain.